Improvement in horseshoe-nail machines



` 2Sheets-Sheet2f l. ROY.

Horsesh'ue-Nail-Machine. No.169,044. l, Patented-oct.19,1375.

N-PETERS. PHDTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. Dv C.

UNITED S'rnfrEsfy PATENT QEEICE.

JOSEPH ROY, OE OHIOAGO, ILLINOIS.

" IMPROVEMENT IN HIORSESHOE-NAIL MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 169,044, dated October 19, 1875 application led April 9, 1673.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH ROY, ofthe city of Chicago and State of Illinois, have invented an Improved Horseshoe-Nail Machine; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full and correct description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a side elevation of my machine. Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the same. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are detail views.

The same letter indicates the same part Wherever it occurs.

'lhis invention relates to machinery for making nails by a continuous and automatic operation, the nail-rod being subjected to the direct` action of heat during the process of forging. It consists of improvements on the Inachine for forging horseshoe-nails for which Letters Patent N o. 58,485 were granted to me October 2, 1866, resulting in a .great simplifica-k tion of the mechanismdescribed in that patent for operating the working parts; and in advantageous changes in the method of feeding and heating the nail-rod, of turning it npon the anvls, and ot' severing the finished nail from the rod, all ashereinat'ter more particularly set forth.

'lo enable others to make and use my improved machine, I will proceed to describe in. detail its construction and operation.

In the drawings, AA marks the frame ot' the machine, which consists of a heavy bed-plate, with suitable iron uprights and cross-beams to support the working parts. B marks the point of application ot' the driving-power at the end Ot' the main shaft C. On this shaft are placed two cams, 1)` D', which operate to trip the heels of the hammers E E', by which, in conjunction with proper dies, the forging is perlormed. These hammers are aided in their downward blow by the springs F F', which react against studs afa on the sides-of the heels of the hammers, respectively. These springs are attached to the side frame of the machine, as shown,and their tension is adjusted by the straps (Jr, attached at their lower ends to the springs and adjusted at their upper ends. byl

means ot the keys or wedges b b, or by means of ad justIng-screws, as preferred. By this arrangement each spring can be adjusted independently of the other, and the force of the blow of each hammer regulated accordingly. His the postor an\'ilblock,.on which are supported the anvil. lies or matrices 7c, which cooperate with the hammers in forming the nail.. There are two of these dies, corresponding in number with the hammers, one die forming, with its corresponding hammer, the llat side of the nail, and the other die, with its hammer, forming the edge of the nail. On main shaft U is fixed a bevel-pinion,l, which meshes into ay corresponding gear, J, of equal size and number of teeth, on the upper enil of vertical shaft K. On shat't K is gear L, whch meshes into intermediate gear M, which works in gear N on upright shaft O, and drives that shaft. 0u the upper end of shaft O is the large gean wheel N, which carries the movable cutter l, which cooperates with the stationary cutter min severing the finished nail from the rod, as hereinat'ter described. 'On the ,upper side of the rim ot'wheel N is placed a cam, n, which operates the sliding stop o,which at the proper instant arrests the blow of the hammer E by its interposition between the shaft U and theY stud on the rear end of the hammer-helve.

Attached to the lower part of shalt U is an arm, P, having a pin projecting downward, which engages with and operates a lever, Q. This lever operates in one direction a sliding z scroll or cam, lt, which moves in ways or col- `lars on the bed-plate of the machine.

at its other end to the. lever T, which has its fulcrum at z, and carries at its upper end a clutch, t', through which the nail-rod passes. U marks a spool, on which the nail-rod It is wound in a lcontinuous strip of ndelinite length.V l prefer to wind on the spool a sufticient length to supply the consumption ot' a single day. The spool U is hung in a reel, V, having horizontal journals, the forward one of which is iliade hollow, to allow of the passage ofthe nail-rod to the furnace and the dies. 'lhe rod, as it passes from thel spool, goes between two rol1ers,w y, which straighten and guide it, and which are made to regulate its tension by means of adjusting-screws, (not its narrow side or edge.

shown,) which determine the pressure of the rollers on the rod. On the forward hollow journal of the reel U is xed a large gear, W, which meshes int-o and is driven by pinion X on the end ot' the horizontal shaft a. This shaft has a bevel-pinion, b', on it-s other end, d which meshesinto a bevel-gear, c, on upright shaft K. The gear W makes one revolution to two revolutions of the main shaft C, and turns the nail-rod continuously in one direction at the saine rate of movement. d is an eccentric on shaft a, turning in one end of the connecting-rod e, the other end of which is connected with and operates the lever j', supporting the fire-box or furnace g, through which the nail-rod h passes to be heated just before reachingrtlie dies.

The furnace g is similar in general construction and principle of operation to that described in my Patent No. 86,456, dated February 2, 1869. j

The heat is produced by the flames from couipound blow-pipes, whichames are projected upon the nail-rod through the apertures in the sides, bottom, and top of the furnace, and extend out between the dies and the hammers, so as to envelop the rod during the whole time lthat it is undergoing the operation of forging. This almost entirely prevents the great waste of oxidation which occurs in the ordinary method of nail-making, in which the heated metal is exposed to the direct action of the atmosphere.

The furnace gis caused, by the oscillation of the lever f, to present the heated nail-rod alter- Iiately under the hammers E and E', and in their respective dies.

'lhe sliding stop o slides on a stud projecting into it from the side framing. It is drawn away fi'oln the cam l) by means of a retracting-spring, and is drawn toward that cam by the operation of the cam n on the upper edge of the rim of wheel N upon arm s, projecting fiom stop o. A forked head on the end ofthe stop o slides on the main shaft C above. The fork on the lower side of the head engages with the saine pin, s', on the heel of the hainnier E upon which the spring F reacts.

The movement of the stop o is so timed that it stops the descent of the hammer E at the instant when, but for the arresting action of the stop, it would strike the finished nail on The object of this movement is to allow the cutters t m to sever the finished nail from the rod while the nail `is on its edge.

I prefer to give such shape to the cutters as will impart a rounded form to the head of the nail, instead of cutting it off square, as in the ordinary machines.

1n order to afford support to the nail, and prevent it from moving at the instant of being severed, and thus receivingan irregular form as to its head, l 'place a pin, p, in the face of the revolving cutter l, which projects beyond the cutter, and comes over the nail, to hold it down upon the die, just before it is severed from the rod. In this way perfect uniformity*V in the cut of the nail-head is secured.

The nailrod is fed to the furnace and dies by means of the reci procating clutch 5, on the face of which are two dogs or pawls, so arranged as to drive the nail-rod forward toward the anvil, and to slide backward on the rod toward the reel when the clutch moves back. While the clutch is moving back the rod is pre.- vented from going back with it by the guiderollers .'r y.

The gear W, as before observed, makes one one. The gear N is ordinarily1 timed to make i one revolution to sixteen revolutions of main shaft C, so that each nail would receive thirtytwo blows, but for the arrest ofthe last blow, to allow the cutter to sever the finished nail from the rod. p

The relative speed of the main shaft and the shaft of gear N may be indefinitely varied,

as the nature of the work may require.

The nail-rod is heated on its way to `the hammers by passing through the furnace g, which oscillates with arm f, in suoli time as to present the heated end ot' the rod alternately under the two hammers. When in the die under hammer E', the flat or `broad sideof the nail is produced, while the narrow side `or edge of the nail is produced in the die under hammer E. The relative force of the blows of the two hammers admits of indefinite. regulation hy means of the devices for adjusting the actual and relative tension of the springs F F.

By regulating the ame from the blow-pipe, as well as the number and force of the blows of the hammers, I have every element of the manipulation ofthe rod under perfect control, and can vary the length, thickness, and form ofthe nail at will.`

rlhe length of rod fed to the dies and ham` mers for each nail depends on the throw of lever T, which can be regulated by altering the position of its fulcruin z in the frame, or in any other convenient manner. The position of the stationary cutter m regulates the length ofthe headof the nail.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is'- 1. In a nail-machine, the combination of the reel V, spool U, and rollers a: y with mechanism for feeding the nail-rod to the furnace and hammers, for the purpose of securing an uuinterrupted feed, as specified. V

2. The combination of the furnace or firebox g, the lever f, and mechanism for impartL ing to it a lateral oscillating movement, with the hammers E E and anvil H, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The apparatus for feeding the nail-rod to the hammers, consisting of the lever T. with its fulcrum z, rod S, slide R, lever Q, cani P,

with its stud, and the revolving clutch i, allconstructed and operating as described. 4. The combination, with the hammers E E', anvil H, and laterally-oscillatin g furnace g, of the stationary cutter mand revolving cutter l, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, With the tWo hammers, the anvil, and the oscillating furnace, of the cont-inuously-revolving" and longitudinally-reciprocating clutch fi, for turning and feeding forward the rod, as and for the purpose described. l

6. The combination, substantially as described, ofthe sliding stop o, hammer E, arm S, and cam n, as and for the purpose described.

The above specification of my said invention signed and witnessed, at Washington, this 5th day of April,-A. D. 1873.

JOSEPH ROY. Witnesses W. P. BELL, CHAs. F. S'rANsBURY. 

